Tea Is Healthy for You

You have probably known all along that tea is good for you. But you may be surprised to learn that there is a growing body of scientific evidence to support your feelings. While these findings are simply correlations and are not yet considered scientific fact, they do provide a wealth of information to support the healthy aspects of tea.

Scientists have confirmed that the healthful substances found in green tea — renowned for their powerful antioxidant and disease-fighting properties — do penetrate into tissues of the eye. Their new report, the first documenting how the lens, retina, and other eye tissues absorb these substances, raises the possibility that green tea may protect against glaucoma and other eye diseases. New Evidence That Green Tea May Help Fight Glaucoma and Other Eye Diseases - Science Daily, February 20, 2010Read the entire article online.

Findings of a recent study into the effects of green tea on prostate cancer found that certain compounds have an influence on the progression of the disease. The studied substance, polyphenon, was found to significantly reduce the serum markers predictive of prostate cancer progression. In collaboration with Columbia University in New York City, the researchers are currently conducting a comparable trial among patients with breast cancer. Green Tea May Slow Prostate Cancer Progression - June 22, 2009Read the entire article online.

According to a study published in Journal of Food Science, black tea has the potential of managing the development of diabetes. Chinese scientists, examining the polysaccharide levels of different tea varieties, found that polysaccharides in black tea had the most glucose-inhibiting properties. Polysaccharides are a type of carbohydrate that may benefit people with diabetes because they help retard absorption of glucose. Black tea polysaccharides are also shown to have the highest scavenging effect on free radicals, which are involved in the onset of diseases such as cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. Black Tea May Fight Diabetes - August 13, 2009Read the entire article online.

A recent Finnish study found that men who drank more than two cups of tea a day had a 21% reduced chance of stroke, and consumption of at least three cups of tea a day can lower the risk of a heart attack by up to 70%. Three cups of tea a day 'can cut heart attack risk by 70% - May 22, 2009Read the entire article online.

According to Wikipedia, the potential effects of tea on health have been touted for infusions made from the plant Camellia sinensis for more than 4700 years. A wide range of potential benefits include: Anti-cancer properties, increases in metabolic rates, possible anti-diabetes effects, boosts in mental alertness, boosts in immune system functions, decreases in chances of cognitive impairment, lowering of stress hormone levels, complementary effects on the inhibition of HIV virus binding, effects on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), positive effects on bacterial and fungal infections, and much more. Potential Effects of Tea on HealthLearn more at Wikipedia.

A study shows that adults who consumed three or more cups of green tea per day had a lower risk of death due to cardiovascular disease. The study, conducted by the Tohoku University School of Public Policy in Japan, followed 40,530 Japanese adults, ages 40 to 79 years, with no history of stroke, coronary heart disease or cancer at baseline beginning in 1994. The study followed all participants for up to 11 years for death from all causes and for up to 7 years for death from a specific cause. Participants who consumed 5 or more cups of tea per day had a 16 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality and a 26 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease than participants who consumed less than 1 cup of tea per day. The study also states, “If green tea does protect humans against CVD or cancer, it is expected that consumption of this beverage would substantially contribute to the prolonging of life expectancy, given that CVD and cancer are the two leading causes of death worldwide.” The Ohsaki Study, Journal of the American Medical Association, September 13, 2006Read an abstract online.

A study suggests that drinking just one cup a day of green or black tea may lower the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer in women by 24 percent. By drinking at least two cups, the risk appears to drop by 48 percent. These conclusions were drawn as a result of a 15-year survey conducted by researchers at the Swedish Mammography Cohort of the tea-drinking habits of over 61,000 women between the ages of 41 and 76. Susanna C. Larsson, MSc; Alicja Wolk, DMSc, Archives of Internal Medicine, December 26, 2005Read an abstract online.